Why You Should Introduce Computer Programming to Your Kids
Let Them Start Early
“I think we consider too much the good luck of the early bird and not enough the bad luck of the early worm.”
— Franklin D. Roosevelt
Children are the future leaders, and the amount of training and education they receive will determine the kind of leaders they will become. If your children have an interest in tech and you want them to take the lead, it is essential for you to introduce them to computer programming at a young age. History has recorded a lot of successful individuals in the tech industry that started early. Let's see a few of them:
Bill Gates
Bill Gates was a software developer who co-founded Microsoft. Through his computer business, he emerged as the world's richest man from 1995 to 2017. Bill Gates started computer programming at a young age. He wrote his first computer program at the age of 13 using BASIC programming language.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk is another top-notch in computer programming. His business portfolios include SpaceX, Boring Company, Tesla, and Twitter. Musk succeeded in tech to the point of becoming the wealthiest person in the world according to Forbes with a net worth of around $195 billion. He was also an early starter. This is what he has to say, “I taught myself how to program computers when I was a kid, bought my first computer when I was 10 and sold my first commercial program when I was 12.”
Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg is the king of social media. He is the owner of Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram. One striking thing about Zuckerberg is that he started programming when he was in grade 6, approximately at the age of 10. He is a billionaire with a net worth of over $33 billion. This is the advice from Mark: “All of my friends who have younger siblings who are going to college or high school — my number one piece of advice is: You should learn how to program”
Why then should you introduce computer programming to your kids?
One thing that is common among the trio above is that they started early. It turns out that starting early facilitates success in tech. When you introduce computer programming to your children when they are young, it enables them to start early and if they are interested in the field, it will increase their chances of hitting it big. Also, starting early will afford them enough time to gain the mastery and experience needed to grow a tech business.
How do you introduce computer programming to your kids?
- Find out if they are interested in computer programming
- Buy them computers
- Buy them books on computer programming
- Hire a tutor for them
- But please don’t force them. Everybody is not wired for tech.
Final Thoughts
Introducing computer programming to your kids will enable them to know whether they are cut out for it. This will enable them to gain mastery and experience on time, and help them to succeed early in life.
I am Chekwube Utomi, a software developer via data science, web, and technical writing.
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